The Strategoi of Classical Athens

This book offers a broad-ranging study of the Athenian strategoi in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, combining an institutional approach with close analysis of command in practice. The commanders' numerous responsibilities at every stage of a campaign, from mustering troops to managing finances, point to considerable autonomy and authority exercised within the often loose boundaries of mandates issued by the Assembly. The analysis of extra-legal authority is shown to be consistent with this interpretation: personal authority shaped how individual strategoi exercised power and helps explain discrepancies in independence, attitude, and performance. The result is a fresh perspective on the strategoi that rethinks established scholarly interpretations, including their progressive professionalisation, the significance of individual agency, and the role of unmet expectations in their accountability. The volume situates Athenian commanders within broader contemporary debates on military leadership and the widely recognised non-institutional dynamics that regulated public life in Athens.